


An Improper Greeting

by umauzumaki



Series: The Revelation of Who We Could Be [1]
Category: Naruto, Star Trek
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Star Trek - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28183179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umauzumaki/pseuds/umauzumaki
Summary: Whatever Lee had planned to say before this moment was lost.Whatever distance Lee had planned to maintain was ignored.On instinct, he reached out with both hands and grabbed the commander’s hand, shaking it emphatically. He smiled so wide that his eyes shut in response.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Series: The Revelation of Who We Could Be [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066964
Comments: 21
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Gaalee/Star Trek AU only I asked for. Thank you a_gay_poster and jessicamiriamdrew for reading in advance and giving me that extra push to post!

Nothing could have prepared Lieutenant Lee for his first interaction with the Vulcan Commander Gaara when he arrived for duty on the Starship Enterprise. 

As Chief of Security, Lee valued his role in protecting the members of the crew and believed he played at least a small part in maintaining diplomatic relations. He often accompanied the captain to meet the leaders of new civilizations. He’d seen all too often how the wrong move from any member of their party could lead to disastrous results. Knowing himself fully, Lee recognized early in his tenure that his personality and his open smile were rarely (if ever) considered appropriate behavior when making these introductions. 

When he had enough notice, Lee made an effort to learn the proper greetings, tone and body language necessary to best interact with new cultures. When Captain Gai informed the crew that their new Science Officer was not only Vulcan, but the son of Ambassador Rasa, Lee tried to learn as much as he could as quickly as possible. It would not do well to embarrass himself before a dignitary. 

This proved to be a difficult task because little was disclosed about Vulcan culture. 

He had encountered them enough to aid in identifying a Vulcan in person. Their sharp ears and eyebrows. Dark eyes and hair, cut and styled with immense precision. Sharing a close resemblance to Romulans, Lee noted a major difference between the two in their interaction with others. He had never seen a Vulcan shake hands with anyone. He read of a greeting that involved raising your hand, palm forward with the middle and pointer touching as well as the ring and pinky finger. He memorized the greeting and response and hoped that would suffice.

When the day finally arrived, he stood beside Captain Gai and Commander Neji in the transporter room and patiently waited for the arrival of their newest member. 

The man that materialized before them left Lieutenant Lee dumbstruck.

To put it simply, he was the most beautiful creature Lee had ever seen. 

His body was slender and toned. His hair a vibrant red that seemed unnatural. Above his left eye was a tattoo of a symbol Lee did not recognize but one that complimented the sharp edges of the man’s face. He did not seem to have any eyebrows at all but his beauty was not diminished because of it. The only purely “Vulcan” feature Lee could see on this man were his ears. He gave them a passing glance as his eyes found the Commander's and his heart beat loud against his chest. Instead of a dark brown as he expected, Commander Gaara had eyes like bright seafoam, somewhere between blue and green. Though he held a stoic look on his face, his eyes were expressive a mixture of many emotions swirling within them.

Whatever Lee had planned to say before this moment was lost. 

Whatever distance Lee had planned to maintain was ignored. 

On instinct, he reached out with both hands and grabbed the commander’s hand, shaking it emphatically. He smiled so wide that his eyes shut in response. 

Commander Gaara’s hand fit perfectly in both of Lee’s. It was softer and warmer than expected. He had no desire to let go. Something about the feeling of his hand put Lee in a trance. He could think of nothing but this moment and extending it as long as possible.

Lee wasn’t sure he’d said his name yet. He wasn’t sure he’d said anything yet, but the way his thoughts were flying in his head he was worried all that would come out was nonsense. 

So he held on longer. 

The feeling of Commander Gaara squeezing his hand in return shocked Lee out of his trance. 

His eyes dark eyes shot open and locked with deep seafoam ones. They stared at each other, hands still joined for a moment until Lee felt Neji’s sharp nails dig into his shoulder.

He dropped Gaara’s hand, turned to the First Officer and felt the blood rush to his face. He could tell from Neji’s expression that he had just done something very wrong. 

He moved to apologize but the Vulcan and his captain were already gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps the man’s smile disarmed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mind was buzzing imagining what Gaara was thinking. I couldn't keep it in so here it is!

There were three men waiting for him upon his arrival. He recognized Captain Gai; he had served under him on this very ship years before. Little had changed about him physically in that time but he knew from reports that the makeup of his bridge crew was different than the people Gaara had come to know. A commission on the Enterprise was well sought after. Captain Gai was a satisfactory leader so this was unsurprising. Directly beside him was a Betazoid man and another who looked like he could be the captain’s child. His hair and thick eyebrows matched him perfectly. Given his age, though, Gaara knew that to be an impossibility. 

He stepped down from the platform and gave the Vulcan salute, addressing each man down the line. Captain Gai and the Betazoid man mirrored him while the third remained perfectly still, round eyes fixed on him. The Betazoid identified himself as Commander Neji Hyuga. He seemed more resigned than one would expect of someone from Betazed. The length of his hair acting as his only trait that was out of order. The way his eyebrow quirked at that reminded Gaara that he could read his every thought. He found it to be of no consequence. Surely Commander Hyuga knew from a Vulcan, that was a compliment.

When he stood before the third man, a smile so bright it rivaled the sun tore across his face and two hands reached forward and grabbed his own. 

It was not the first time someone had tried to shake his hand. Humans seemed to have a great proclivity for hand shaking. Vulcans, however, did not. As touch telepaths, engaging in a public form of physical affection was taboo. The skin-to-skin contact meant an intermingling of thoughts and emotions among members of his species. When engaged with species that held no telepathic abilities, like humans, this was a one-way invasion into another’s mind. He knew from his experience with his mother that Vulcans could project this experience onto humans and choose to share themselves through the bond. He also knew that it could lead to a permanent link between those that are bonded—one that extended beyond the physical touch. It was an act meant for lovers, not passing acquaintances. It was inappropriate and by extension, illogical to allow something as meaningful as a handshake. When faced with this situation in the past, his Vulcan reflexes aided in avoiding the unwanted touch. Unfortunately, this was the first time his reflexes failed him and he was unable to stop what happened next. 

Perhaps the man’s smile disarmed him. 

Once in contact, Gaara found himself bombarded by the intensity of the stranger’s feelings—feelings for him. This strange man found him beautiful, soft, warm. He longed to hold his hand and never let go. His wide smile forced his eyes closed but Gaara saw images of his own eyes burned into his memory. 

Gaara had not entertained the thought that someone would feel this way about him since Hakuto and even then, those feelings had never crossed her mind. It had been years since their bond was broken and she joined herself with another. Though he knew he did not love her, the rejection scarred him all the same. He believed it was unlikely that he’d find someone to love him as his mother loved his father. He got the kanji “love” on his face as a vow to love himself despite being rejected by his bond mate and spending a lifetime rejected by his kind. It was an illogical choice, an emotional outburst he’d regret had it not strengthened his bond with his brother. 

Yet here he stood years later with his mind spinning with another’s rose-colored thoughts about him. He could not say that he disliked the thoughts nor the man holding his hand. He was aesthetically pleasing—tall, dark and strong with a smile so engaging he almost wanted to return the gesture. Instead, his hand, previously unresponsive in the stranger’s grasp gave a gentle squeeze.

Thick lashes opened and brown eyes met his.

Yes, Gaara thought, he did not dislike this man. He felt welcome in his kind, honest eyes. There was something captivating about the way his face revealed every thought in his mind—something pure.

The hiss of the name “Lieutenant Lee,” forced Gaara to remember they were not alone. Lee broke their eye contact and turned to the man beside him. 

Without another thought, Gaara turned his own attention to the captain and the two of them departed the room before the others could notice.

Gaara’s mind hummed with the memory of Lee’s thoughts still there. Fascinating, he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to continue this in a longer series. There's already some art that I made on my tumblr so I have the corresponding chapters somewhat planned. More art will come as the story progresses.
> 
> Thanks for reading Part One!

**Author's Note:**

> See the fanart I made that inspired this story [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/umauzumaki/636212416577994752)!


End file.
